He Wasn't Ready to Let Go
by Darkmoose84
Summary: After Lake House Fever, Marco is left to still cook for his family, but Kelly comes over to help with multiple things.


Hey all. It's been awhile, but really wanted to post something new. Really had a strong urge to respond to Lake House Fever. There's some Kellco here, but I don't normally ship them. Given the circumstances, however, it made sense here. Anyways, enjoy.

"One must learn to love, and go through a good deal of suffering to get to it... and the journey is always towards the other soul." – D H Lawrence

"I'm not exceptionally shy\But I've never had a man\That I could look straight in the eye\And tell my secret plans\I can take a vow\And I can wear a ring\And I can make you promises \But they won't mean a thing" – The Dresden Dolls

The sun was sinking lower and lower over the horizon of the Echo Creek hills as Marco watched out for when Star might be coming. His best friend said she would be there an hour ago, but she never showed.

"I wonder what's keeping Star," Angie mused from the living room, "I hope she's okay...and if she is, she better not keep us much longer. Marco Jr is getting hungry too."

"I'm sure she had a good reason," Raphael replied, "She's a tough girl and can take care of herself."

"Enough of the waiting," Marco said, turning back in the doorway and heading inside, closing the front door behind him and unlocking his phone to make a call. It didn't take Star long to answer the video call. "Hey...Star?" He saw her sitting at a table in front of a large lava lake. "I thought you would be here by now?...Just, checking in."

"Oh hey Marco," Star smiled and waved hello, "Yeah, sorry. There were a few...big things that came up, and I kinda wanted to stay a little longer with the Lucitors!"

"Hey, bud!" Tom shouted in the background.

"But...We've been waiting over an hour now," Marco muttered, clearly perturbed, "You said you'd be here."

"Yeah, I know," Star sighed, "I'm really super sorry, but I did actually call a friend who I think might be ten times better for you to see than me right now." There was a loud screeching sound that chilled Marco's bones in the background of the video. "Oh, burgers are done. Gotta go! Byeeeeee!" Star gave them her usual peace sign before hanging up.

Marco felt...something. Was this hurt? Was this betrayal? She did promise after all. It had to be jealousy. Yes, surely it was simply the mere trite jealously he felt towards Tom and Star's relationship, and that's all...right? No, it had to be something deeper than that.

But he was her squire! Marco had to respect and honor the choices his princess made. He couldn't allow himself to feel this kind of resentment. He couldn't allow himself to feel.

There was a knock at the door.

He opened it to find none other than his green haired friend, Kelly.

"Hey, there, Marco!" she chimed.

"Hey, Kelly," Marco feined a smile. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Kelly, just the frustration at the unrelated circumstances…

"Welcome, Kelly," Raphael started up from his planted seat on the couch and guided her in, "I...don't suppose you know how to make a good dinner do you?"

Angie groaned from the couch. The hunger pains were setting in, and Marco Jr's kicks didn't help a thing.

"Ha," Kelly chided, "I totally came prepared!" She then pulled a large backpack from deep within her hair and proceeded to produce some zucchini, eggplant, and squash from it. "I thought I might cook one of my favorite Earth dishes, ratatouille."

For the next hour, Kelly and Marco whipped up in the oven one of the best vegetable pasta dishes to come out of Earth's European nation of France. It took a lot of chopping, a lot of precise placement, and frustration of whether or not the dang oven was preheated, but the two friends were able to make a noble dish indeed for the Diaz family: Ratatouille with french onion soup in Baguette bowls.

Needless to say, Angie and her new child were satisfied. Oh, and the rest of those there assembled were satisfied as well with the meal, though their indulgence was less important.

It wasn't long before the Diazes and Kelly found themselves outside, looking up at the stars, the distant, long dead light from those balls of gases hanging in the empty darkness, scattered across the sky like twinkling glitter on a massive dark blue blanket. They had asked Alexa to turn on the online classic rock radio, and the first song to play was "Mixed Emotions" by The Rolling Stones.

Kelly and Marco sat on the grass, looking up at the same sea of stars. It seemed that both of them had other thoughts on their mind. Neither one of them seemed to want to vocalize it, but the silence between them was even less bearable than sharing their personal anxieties.

"That was a good dinner," Marco finally spoke, "I had no idea you could cook, Kelly. That was amazing."

"Thanks," Kelly answered, "I'm used to making a lot of vegan dishes like that. But since Tad is no longer living in my hair, I decided to be a little adventurous and put some cheese in it. Made it ten times better. I gotta say, I'm relieved to finally eat dairy again."

"It's hard to let go isn't it?" Marco rhetorically asked, since she mentioned Tad with it reflecting his own situation, but there was a moments pause. The question put Kelly on the spot, and in turn left Marco feeling awkward again. He had no choice but to continue. "The feeling of connection to that other person you loved."

"I guess," Kelly sighed indignantly, "But you've gotta do it. It's better to rip that dang band-aid off than stay in something that's not doing either of you any good."

"Confession time," Marco laid back on the grass and stared up at the stars, letting out all the stress in him, "I don't think I can let go of these feelings."

"Do you mean of that Jackie girl that you mentioned once?" Kelly asked, "She seemed pretty cool those few times I met her."

"No..." Marco stammered, "I mean..."

"Of course," Kelly sighed again, "Star is one cool girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah..." Marco swooned, "And I'm worried I was too late to see that in her..." Marco sat upright, clearly frustrated. "I mean, I'm her squire. I have to be fully supportive of her and compliant in her actions. But...watching her with another guy who claims he considers me a 'best friend'…I just don't know how to accept this!"

"You shouldn't have to," Kelly stated, "Why do you feel like you need to hold out on someone who clearly isn't holding out for you?"

"For me," Marco continued, "It's a matter of honor and loyalty. I've felt this all my life in how I've addressed my parents, my school work, how I've addressed Jackie..."

"But Star doesn't work that way," Kelly interjected, "She functions on pure instinct and chaos. I know there's some old guy here on Earth named Frued (link to Sigmund Frued) who would say that she works entirely off of the Id, or instinct or physical drive or whatever. She does what she wants regardless of how others feel."

"Yeah," Marco slumped his head in his arms, "I guess that's one of the great things about her..."

"But you can't wait on a person like that," Kelly snapped, "It's not healthy for you or her. I mean, if she's found her happiness in Tom, you need to accept that, move on, and find your own happiness...right?"

"Maybe..." Marco muttered.

"I mean," Kelly followed, "You've got to be fair to you, too. Maybe there's a girl who likes you for you just as much. And Marco, you're such a great guy that you deserve someone in your life who is just as loyal and caring towards you. You shouldn't have to feel like some steadfast tin soldier and keep holding out for someone who's not available." She reached out and held his hand. "You need to do what's right for you."

"I'm not good at talking about these things," Marco replied, "Being honest about my feelings, and I think that's one of the reasons I'm in this situation." He broke out of his cloistered position and leaned back, but he still held on to Kelly's hand. "She's been such a big part of my life for the past two years, and it's hard for me to imagine my life without her at this point. I guess part of me feels that this thing with Tom is temporary, that if they broke up once, they will again. And if they do, I want to be available for Star, in whatever way she would need me."

"And if they don't?" Kelly had a gentle tone when asking, knowing it was a delicate matter. But when Marco didn't say anything back, she worried she struck the nerve she didn't want to hit with him. But then he leaned towards her, closing his eyes. Was this really what she wanted, for the two of them to…? She decided not to resist it and began to close her eyes as well as their faces drew closer.

Suddenly, there came a laugh from the back porch. It was Raphael and Angie laughing about something completely unrelated, but it was enough to jar Marco and Kelly out of what they were doing.

"I'm so glad I married my best friend," Angie said, smiling.

"Me, too, mi querido," Raphael replied, and the two reached over and held each other.

Kelly slowly released Marco's hand, knowing he wasn't ready to let go of who she knew was his real best friend.

"I better get going," she sighed, "Got to get up early tomorrow morning and return this overdue library book. Let's just say they're really strict about book returns."

"Wait," Marco stammered, "…Would it be alright if I came with you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Kelly smiled, trying to choke back some other feelings she didn't feel right expressing, "I'd like that."


End file.
